While these foods spike your happiness momentarily, they don’t help you solve your problems in the long-term. If you find yourself turning to food for comfort once in a blue moon, it’s probably no big deal. But if you’re emotionally eating on the reg, you could be on your way host of unwanted problems. So, here’s some of my top tips to help you break the emotional eating cycle.

1. Rate your hunger

Tuning into your hunger and satiety cues is a game changer when trying to combat non-hungry eating. And it’s pretty simple: before you start shovelling food into your mouth, take a second to rate how hungry you feel in that very moment. Think: zero is no hunger, plus five is the type of fullness you feel on Christmas Day, and minus five is the type of hunger you’d feel at 6pm if you hadn’t eaten all day. Putting this step in place can help you to distinguish genuine hunger from the desire to eat food just for the sake of it.

2. Eat mindfully…

If you realise that you’re actually hungry (think: your stomach is grumbling or you’re feeling low on energy), the next step is to eat in a mindful way. That means being present in the moment, rather than replying to emails, scrolling on Instagram or catching up on MAFS. With each mouthful, take the time to pay attention to your chewing as well the different textures and tastes of what you’re eating.

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3. Learn your triggers… and have a strategy

People turn to food help them cope with lots of different emotions – like stress, boredom or loneliness, for example. So, it can be super helpful to learn what your unique triggers are and put in place mechanisms to help you deal with them. If you turn to food when you’re feeling lonely, for instance, why not pick up the phone and call your mum or best friend. Likewise, if you’re frustrated, head outside for five minutes of fresh hair, and if you’re angry, start to incorporate stress-relieving activities in your weekly routine. You get the picture.

4. Don’t keep ‘junk’ in the house

If you find it hard to resist the packet of Tim Tams in your cupboard after a stressful day at work, simply stop buying them. Same goes for the chips, Nutella or jelly snakes you have in your pantry ‘just because’. Think of these foods as occasional treats, rather than weekly staples on your shopping list. If they’re not in your house, it’ll be harder to reach for them in a moment of stress or upset.

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5. Get moving

It’s a proven fact: exercise makes you feel good and helps to relieve stress. So, if your emotions are getting the best of you, having a regular sweat sesh could be your golden ticket. That doesn’t mean pounding pavement or pumping iron if you don’t like it – anything from a dancing class to boxing lesson counts, too.